χείρων

χείρων, ὁ, ἡ, neut. χεῖρον, gen. -ονος, acc. -ονα: nom. and acc. pl. χείρονες, -ας, χείρονα, [var] contr. in [dialect] Att. Prose χείρους, χείρω; dat. χείροσι, poet.

A

χειρόνεσσι Pi.N.8.22

:—(for [dialect] Ep. form [full] χερείων, poet. [full] χειρότερος, [full] χερειότερος, v. sub vocc.):—irreg. [comp] Comp. of κακός: (χείρων from Χερ-ψων, cf. χερείων):

I of persons, mcaner, inferior, either in bodily strength and bravery, or in rank, opp. ἀρείων, Il.10.238, Od.20.133;

σὺ μὲν ἐσθλὸς ἐγὼ δὲ σέθεν πολὺ χείρων Il.20.434

;

τοῦ γένετ' ἐκ πατρὸς πολὺ χείρονος υἱὸς ἀμείνων 15.641

, cf. Od.20.82;

ἦ πολὺ χείρονες ἄνδρες ἀμύμονος ἀνδρὸς ἄκοιτιν μνῶνται 21.325

; opp. κρείσσων, Pi.I.4(3).34(52);

τὸν ὄλβιον τόν τε χ. E.Ba.422

(lyr.);

τὰ χείρονα S.Fr.192

, E.Supp.196.

2 later in moral sense, worse than others, sts. almost like a positive, knave, opp. ἀγαθός, S.Ph.456, cf. Th.3.9, Lys.16.3;

οἱ πένητες καὶ οἱ δημόται καὶ οἱ χ. X.Ath.1.4

, cf. 3.10; οἱ χ., opp. οἱ ἀγαθοί, Pl.R.460c, etc.

b χ. βίος, opp. ἀμείνων, ib.618d;

γνώμη X.Cyr.8.8.7

.

3 worse in quality, inferior, of horses, Il.23.572: inferior, less skilful,

ἰητροί Hp.Acut.6

; ζωγράφοι, δημιουργοί, etc., Pl.Cra.429a, R.421e, etc.: χ. εἰς σοφίαν, εἰς τὴν ἀρετήν, Id.Tht.162c, R.335b;

πρὸς ἀλήθειαν Luc. JTr.48

; c. acc.,

χ. τὰ πολεμικά X.Cyr.8.8.20

; χ. τὴν ψυχήν, τὴν διάνοιαν, Aeschin.3.46. Isoc.11.43;

τὰ ἄλλα μηδὲν χ. Id.4.105

; c. inf.,

χ. ἡμῶν ταῦτα ποιεῖν X.Cyr.2.1.16

; οὐδὲν χείρους ἔσεσθε . . ἀκηκοότες you will be none the worse for having heard . . , D.24.139; less kind,

μὴ χ. περὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς εἶναι . . τῶν ὑπαρχόντων Id.2.2

.

II of things, inferior in quality,

ἄεθλον Il.23.413

;

ὑποδήματα X.Oec. 13.10

;

ὄνομα Pl.Cra.429b

.

2 worse, harder, more severe,

νόσος E.Andr.220

;

μοῖρα Pl.Phdr.248e

;

τιμωρία Ep.Hebr.10.29

.

III neut.,

1 as a Subst.,

τὸ χ.

inferiority,

Polem.Call.27

; but mostly in phrases with Preps., ἐπὶ τὸ χ. τρέπεσθαι, κλῖναι, fall off, get worse, X.Cyr.8.8.2, Mem.3.5.13;

ἐπὶ τὸ χ. μεταβάλλει ἑαυτόν Pl.R. 381b

; ἀλλοιοῦσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ χ., opp. ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον, Thphr.CP6.3.3; also πάντα ὑποπτεύοντες ἐπὶ τὸ χ. putting the worst construction on . . D.H.6.85;

λαμβάνειν τι ἐπὶ τὸ χ. J.AJ16.7.4

; also

πρὸς τὸ χ. μεταβάλλειν D.S.20.57

;

κατὰ τὸ χ. Pl.Lg.720e

; in the lower sense, opp. κατὰ τὸ κρεῖττον, Dam.Pr.7: less freq. in pl.,

ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω ἰέναι X. Mem.3.9.9

;

τὰ χ. προαιρεῖσθαι Isoc.8.110

.

2 as a predicate, ἀλλὰ σοὶ αὐτῷ χ. (sc. ἐστί or ἔσται) Od.15.515, cf. X.An.7.6.4; with a neg., οὐ χ. [ἐστι] c. inf., we may as well, Pl.Phd.105a, Arist. EN1127a14; simply οὐ χεῖρον, in an answer, it is as well, Ar.Eq. 37;

λάβ', ὦγάθ'· οὐδὲν χ. Clearch.Com.4

.

3 as Adv., worse,

χ. βουλεύσασθαι Th.3.46

, cf. 6.89;

χ. πρᾶξαι Id.7.67

; βιῶναι, ζῆν, Pl. R.344e, 519d.

b in inferior degree, less,

ἀγαπᾶν Id.Lg.928a

;

φυλακὰς χ. φυλαττομένας X.HG6.2.17

, etc.

B [comp] Sup. [full] χείριστος, η, ον, worst, Pl.Plt.303a, etc.; ὁ χ., opp. ὁ βέλτιστος, Lys.1.2; esp.

οἱ χ.

men of lowest degrce,

X.Mem.1.2.32

. Adv.

χείριστα Arist.PA687a24

, Metaph.1083b2 (dub. 1.); also

-τως LXX 2 Ma.7.39

.